Cavallo Ventures

Cavallo Ventures, Inc. is the venture capital arm of Wilbur-Ellis Holdings, a privately owned family business nearing its centennial anniversary, and is based in San Francisco, California. Established in 2017, Cavallo Ventures focuses on investing its own capital in innovative entrepreneurs who prioritize building successful companies without shortcuts. The firm targets a diverse range of sectors, including livestock feed, pet nutrition, aquafeed, ingredients for cosmetics, human and animal nutrition, as well as health. Additionally, it explores alternatives to industrial chemicals, agricultural innovations, novel agrochemical active ingredients, water management, irrigation, soil biology, and resource conservation.

Brett Morris

Managing Director

Son Vo

Managing Director

Michael Wilbur

Founding Member & President

Past deals in AgTech

Agtonomy

Seed Round in 2022
Agtonomy is a hybrid autonomy and tele-assist platform for agriculture vehicles.

FarmWise

Series B in 2022
FarmWise Labs, Inc. specializes in the development and manufacturing of robotic machinery aimed at improving agricultural practices. The company focuses on creating vegetable weeders that offer effective weeding and thinning solutions, while also monitoring the growth of herbicides. Founded in 2016 and located in San Francisco, California, FarmWise employs mechanical engineering to enhance farming efficiency and streamline operations, ultimately supporting increased food production. The company was previously known as DeepLook, Inc.

Smartwyre

Series A in 2021
Smartwyre is a software designed for the agricultural supply industry. It was built by crop protection and software industry veterans to eliminate the financial uncertainty caused by commercial complexity. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

Sound Agriculture

Series C in 2021
Sound Agriculture uses molecular discovery to create climate-resilient crops, enhancing harvest yields for growers. They also use an innovative life science approach to sustainably increase farming productivity. The company was founded in 2013 and headquartered in Emeryville, California.

Beta Hatch

Venture Round in 2021
Beta Hatch grows insect protein for animal feed. Nutrient balanced fertilizer is a sterile by-product of their process. Beta Hatch knows bugs better than anyone- they use their expertise in entomology to grow the most efficient and nutritious insects. They are currently farming mealworms from their urban farm in Seattle. They believe in changing food systems. Their goal is to develop the technology and knowledge that will make insects the next commodity crop.

Andes

Series A in 2021
Andes develops technologies for a more sustainable and efficient agriculture. Our solutions are based on beneficial microbes that have naturally co-evolved through thousands of years with plants. Microbe-based formulations are customized through scientific research and an advanced predictive software using Artificial Intelligence. Our technology will allow farmers to have better yields, grow their crops faster, cultivate on traditionally unsuitable lands, use less fertilizers and pesticides, and successfully face the challenges of global climate change. Microbe-based solutions have the potential to foster a new green revolution in a healthy, responsible and environmentally friendly way, and Andes plays a key role in this transformation.

Guardian Agriculture

Seed Round in 2021
Guardian Agriculture designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology for agricultural applications. Founded in 2017 and based in Malden, Massachusetts, the company offers aerial crop protection and spray services, utilizing its UAVs to apply insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and liquid fertilizers. By leveraging advanced technology, Guardian Agriculture aims to enhance crop protection and improve agricultural efficiency.

SomaDetect

Series A in 2021
SomaDetect Inc. is an agricultural technology company based in Fredericton, Canada, that focuses on providing dairy farmers with real-time analytics of milk components. Founded in 2016, the company has developed advanced sensor technology capable of measuring critical indicators such as fat content and somatic cell counts in milk. This innovative system enables farmers to conduct automated analysis without the need for chemicals or consumables, allowing them to identify issues early, manage herd health, and optimize milk quality. By delivering detailed insights during every milking, SomaDetect supports farmers in making informed decisions that enhance production while reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and ensuring high-quality milk enters the bulk supply.

Vestaron

Series B in 2021
Vestaron Corporation is a biotechnology company that specializes in developing, manufacturing, and selling peptide-based biologic crop protection products. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with a research and development center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Vestaron offers a range of bioinsecticides including Spear-T for thrips in vegetables and ornamentals, Spear-Lep for various fruits and vegetables, and Leprotec for field use. The company's products are designed to enhance the safety, efficacy, and sustainability of agricultural practices while being safe for humans, birds, fish, and pollinators. By utilizing peptides derived from spiders, Vestaron aims to provide innovative solutions for agriculture, animal health, and commercial pest control applications.

Beta Hatch

Series A in 2020
Beta Hatch grows insect protein for animal feed. Nutrient balanced fertilizer is a sterile by-product of their process. Beta Hatch knows bugs better than anyone- they use their expertise in entomology to grow the most efficient and nutritious insects. They are currently farming mealworms from their urban farm in Seattle. They believe in changing food systems. Their goal is to develop the technology and knowledge that will make insects the next commodity crop.

Beta Hatch

Series A in 2020
Beta Hatch grows insect protein for animal feed. Nutrient balanced fertilizer is a sterile by-product of their process. Beta Hatch knows bugs better than anyone- they use their expertise in entomology to grow the most efficient and nutritious insects. They are currently farming mealworms from their urban farm in Seattle. They believe in changing food systems. Their goal is to develop the technology and knowledge that will make insects the next commodity crop.

Sound Agriculture

Series C in 2020
Sound Agriculture uses molecular discovery to create climate-resilient crops, enhancing harvest yields for growers. They also use an innovative life science approach to sustainably increase farming productivity. The company was founded in 2013 and headquartered in Emeryville, California.

Crop Enhancement

Series B in 2020
Crop Enhancement LLC, an early stage specialty materials company, develops anchoring and controlled-release formulation technologies for agricultural chemicals. The company’s formulation technologies enable release of chemical agents, such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers into target microenvironments. Crop Enhancement LLC was founded in 2011 and is based in San Jose, California.

FieldIn

Series A in 2019
FieldIn helps farmers and their stakeholders track operational progress and reduce work errors, offering new, previously inaccessible layers of information that support decision makers at every junction. FieldIn combines innovative hardware with an array of sensors, agricultural best-practices, data science analytics and proprietary algorithms into one integrative solution that captures the farm's pulse. They provide farm professionals with visualized insights and practical tools to manage every step of the pest control process, creating a new level of transparency, traceability and collaboration.

AgroSpheres

Series A in 2019
AgroSpheres develops novel technologies that aim to set a new standard for bio-based delivery of active ingredients. It uses a unique platform technology for crop protection solutions and other industrial applications. The company is an encapsulation and delivery technology that dramatically enhances the performance of a broad range of crop protection products including fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides. AgroSpheres was founded in 2016 and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

SomaDetect

Seed Round in 2019
SomaDetect Inc. is an agricultural technology company based in Fredericton, Canada, that focuses on providing dairy farmers with real-time analytics of milk components. Founded in 2016, the company has developed advanced sensor technology capable of measuring critical indicators such as fat content and somatic cell counts in milk. This innovative system enables farmers to conduct automated analysis without the need for chemicals or consumables, allowing them to identify issues early, manage herd health, and optimize milk quality. By delivering detailed insights during every milking, SomaDetect supports farmers in making informed decisions that enhance production while reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and ensuring high-quality milk enters the bulk supply.

Smartwyre

Seed Round in 2019
Smartwyre is a software designed for the agricultural supply industry. It was built by crop protection and software industry veterans to eliminate the financial uncertainty caused by commercial complexity. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

Performance Livestock Analytics

Venture Round in 2019
Performance Livestock Analytics, Inc. is a technology company based in Ames, Iowa, focused on providing innovative farm management solutions for the livestock industry. Established in 2016, the company leverages cloud-based technologies and big data analytics to assist livestock producers in managing their operations more effectively. Its software platform offers a range of services, including data management for daily operations, benchmarking analytics, and performance monitoring. Notable features include a Bluetooth Smart scale device that automates feed delivery processes, ensuring precise tracking of feed usage and costs. The platform facilitates real-time access to on-farm data and enables seamless communication with nutritionists and advisors, aiding producers in making informed decisions that enhance sustainability and profitability. Performance Livestock Analytics operates as a subsidiary of Zoetis Inc., further reinforcing its commitment to transforming the livestock sector through technology.

Crop Enhancement

Venture Round in 2019
Crop Enhancement LLC, an early stage specialty materials company, develops anchoring and controlled-release formulation technologies for agricultural chemicals. The company’s formulation technologies enable release of chemical agents, such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers into target microenvironments. Crop Enhancement LLC was founded in 2011 and is based in San Jose, California.

Beta Hatch

Seed Round in 2018
Beta Hatch grows insect protein for animal feed. Nutrient balanced fertilizer is a sterile by-product of their process. Beta Hatch knows bugs better than anyone- they use their expertise in entomology to grow the most efficient and nutritious insects. They are currently farming mealworms from their urban farm in Seattle. They believe in changing food systems. Their goal is to develop the technology and knowledge that will make insects the next commodity crop.

Sound Agriculture

Series B in 2017
Sound Agriculture uses molecular discovery to create climate-resilient crops, enhancing harvest yields for growers. They also use an innovative life science approach to sustainably increase farming productivity. The company was founded in 2013 and headquartered in Emeryville, California.

Asilomar Bio

Series B in 2017
Asilomar Bio is creating crop protection tools to enhance harvest yields and efficiency by leveraging their breakthrough technology in plant science and chemical manufacturing.

Vinsight

Seed Round in 2017
Vinsight, Inc. doing business as Bountiful, provides an artificial intelligence platform that helps farmers make better forecasts for crop yields. The company provides actionable information via yield forecast for grapes and almonds months before harvest. It provides a dashboard which provides current and historical weather trends, maximum/minimum temperatures, potential evapotranspiration, and growing degree days. The platform's features include monthly forecasts for grapes and almonds, access to historical forecast performance, alternative map base layer options, daily updates for temperature and precipitation, and historical weather information. Vinsight, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in San Francisco, California.